Crate corner construction



Oct. 17, 1933. l E. M. PENNocK Filed May 5, 1930 Z'Sheets-Sheet 2 Edward. HBH/node crates of this nature are constructed so Patented Oct. 17, 1933 UNITED NSTATES PATENT oFFlgcE signor to G. H. Tennant Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application May 5, 1930. Serial No. 449,702

7 claims. (c1. 217-65) My invention relates to milk bottle crates wherein the walls of the same are made of a series of slatted members which lare superimposed. The slats ordinarily used" in making as to be connected at the corners and must be held so that they can expand and contract without breaking at the fastening means in thev use of `the crates.

A feature oi the invention resides in means to reinforce the corners in such a manner so that when the crates are piled one upon the other, thel load of the crates or the shock of dropping one crate onto the other will not break the securing means or crack the slats. This is accomplished by a suitable spacing means or shock absorber which carries the strain from top to bottom of the crate at the corners and thus relieves'the strain on the rivets which hold the corner members togethery and prevents breaking or cracking of the slats;

It is a feature of the invention to -provide spacers between a pair of corner members which form the reinforcing inner and outer corner portions of the crate, the spacers being concealed between the corner members and adapted to take the load or shock coming against the upper surface of the crates. It is also a featureof my invention to provide suitable corner members which may be made of any suitable material which are adapted to be shaped and spaced between inner and outer reinforcing corner plates which overlap the ends of the slats which make up the side walls of the crates.

Other details and important objects will be more fully andclearly set out 'in the specification and claims. Y

In the drawings forming a part of this speciiication: l

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my milk bottle crate.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective detail of a `form of the corner structure. I

Figure 3 is another enlarged perspective detail of a form of the corner structure of my crate.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an enlarged corner detail of my crate. v 1

Figure 5 is a perspective detail of the corner of my crate, showing another form of thev structure for reinforcing the same at the corners.

Figure 6 is a section on theline 6-6 of Figure 4.

' Figure '7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Figure In the drawings ,my crate Ais designed paris made up rivets 16.

intermediate slats` which are riveted by the use for carrying milk bottles and Y of a series of slats y10 which form the side Walls.` The` slats l() are held together by the inner right angular shaped corner member 11 which is provided with a stacking lug 12 on .50 the top end thereof'and by means of the outer right angular corner member 13 which is formed with inwardly lextendingl longitudinal fianges 14 which fit in the grooves 15 formed in the slats 1G. The corner members 11 and 13 are held by 55 the rivets 16 which extend through the slats and are -upset over the members 11 and 16 to lock the same rigidly in a manner to clamp the ends of theslats 10 ofthe crate. This provides ticularly for `a very strong reinforcing corner for the crate A and holds 'fthe slats so that they are protected at the corners and yet are locked against longi- `tudinal.sliding owing to the flanges 14 and the slots 16 into which the flanges engage.

In connecting the corner members byithe rivets 16 the slats 10 are spaced apart in such.

a manner as to provide a slight space between each slat. This is done to permit the'slats to expand and contract in the use of the crate A and is very important owing tothe fact that 80 crates of this nature are usually subjected to considerable moisture at times and it is necessary that the crates are so made that the slats 10 will not be cracked at the point of riveting and thus cause the slatsto easily break when they are in use.

This iorm of fastening the slats together so that they are spaced apartI does not make it necessary thateach slat be riveted 'to the corner members 11 land 13. In fact, it is preferred to 90 construct the crate so that the top and bottom slats are `riveted and then an intermediate slat is riveted, as 'illustrated in the ldrawings by the I have found that thesel crates'are subjected to considerable 'hard usage and Wear 95 and I have therefore provided a means of reinforcing crates at the corners in such a manner as to distribute the load from some of the rivets and permit the -same to be carried by virtually all of ,the rivets insofar as the stress or straink Vis concerned, from the to-p edge to the bottom, edge of the crate. One means of carrying 'out this reinforcing lstructure is illustrated in Figure' 2 Where I place a blocky 18 between the members 11 and 13 which is adapted to be 105 extended between the lower edgeof the top slats 1G landthe top edge of the intermediately riveted slats 10. Thus any weight upon theltop of the crate A is carried throughl'thel block 18 to the 116 n single member rivets 16. This provides a structure where the strain can be distributed from the top edge to the intermediate slat so that the whole load or strain does not come wholly on the top rivets 16.

A further development of my reinforcing corner means for my crate A is illustrated in Figure 3 where I use a spacer block 18 between the top' and intermediate slats 10 and a second spacer block 20 from the intermediate slat to the lower slat 10. These bloclis 18 and 20 are concealed between the reinforcing plates 11 and 13 and it is only necessary to shorten the length of some of the slats 10 to permit the blocks to be easily inserted in place. disposed and thus forcing means, and when the two'blocks 18 and 19 are used the load on the upper top edge of the crate is carried from the top to the bottom slat being distributed through the intermediate Slat.

In Figure 4, I have illustrated a further development of my cornerreinforcing means for cratesA, and in this construction I provide a 22 which extends from the upper slats 10 to the lower slatsr 10. This member acts as a pillar to extend from the top to the bottom slats of the crate A and provides a reinforcing means which will carry the load placed ontop of the crate from the top to the bottom or vice versa.

The idea of my reinforcing means at the corner may be further carried out as illustrated in Figure 5 to provide metal spacers 23 and 24 which are placed between the upper and the intermediate slat and between the intermediate and the lower slat of the crate. These metal reinforcing spacers may be of the form illustrated in Figure 7 and are concealed between the corner plates 11 and 13. It will be noted that the ends of the slats 10 which abut the spacers are made sufficiently short so as to provide the space between the'corner plates 11 and 13 to receive the spacers such Vas 18, 20, 22, 23 or 24. In Figure 6, I have illustrated a section to show the relation of the spacer 22 as associated with the abutting ends of the slats 10 and showing the concealingof the spacer 22 between the sides 11 and 13.

It is important in my crate that the slatsl 10 which are not riveted to the corner plates 11 and 13 be held free to move sufficiently for expansion and contraction to provide a cratehaving side walls of a flexible or expandable nature so as to taire care of the swelling and contracting of the slats in the use of the crate. Thus by a structure as illustrated and described to reinforce the crate between the corner plates so that the load which may be placed upon the crate by many other crates placed one above the other over the stacking corners 12, will not crush the lower crates or break the slats at the point of riveting particularly. I have found that this corner reinforcing means is highly important in the manufacture of crates to provide a crate structure which will withstand the wear and tear under hard usage. The spacers protect the vslats and assist in making a rigid corner structure which cannot be easily crushed by a top or bottom load in the use of the crates.

The particular construction of the outer corner plate 13 with the inturning ilanges 14 l which t in the grooves l5 of each of the slats assists in carrying out the principles of my corner structure in holding the slats 10 in alinement and yet permitting the freemovement of These blocks are freely provide a very effective rein' of said crate between` said plates to carry the.`

the slats in relation to the connecting parts and transversely to the slats.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the features and particular construction of my crate and while I desire to illustrate and set forth the best embodiment and uses thereof, I desire to have it understood that the same is only suggestive of a means of carrying out the principles of the invention and that the same may be varied within the scope of the following claims and still maintain the primary features of the invention.

I claim:

1. A crate structure including corner plates adapted to cover the inside and outsideof the crate corners, a series of spaced slats adapted to be secured between said corner plates, some of said slats `being riveted and some of said slats being free to move transversely of each other between said plates, means for holding said plates in longitudinal alinement,v and means not materially affected vertically by. expansion on account of moisture for reinforcing the corners load from top to bottom of said crate.

2. A crate structure" applicable to, a slatted walled-crate, inner and outer plate corner members, means in said corner members for holding all of the .slats of the walls in alinement, rivet means for holding some of said slats rigidly be- V tween said corner plates, and spacer means not materially affected vertically by expansion on account of moisture between some of said slats concealed between said corner plates to dis.v tribute the load from one slat to another in the corners. y

3. A corner construction for a slatted walled crateincluding, inner and outer corner plates,

longitudinal inturned ilangesl on one of said plates, transverse slits in the slats of theA walls Aof said crate adapted to be engaged by said longitudinal iiang'es, .rivet means for holding some of the Aslats rigidly between said corner plates,

and woodenblock-like spacerV means having ver- Vtically extending grain between the riveted slats with the ends of the unriveted slats abutting said spacer means between said plates.

4. A milk bottle crate including, walls made of a series of spaced superimposed edge to edge slats, cornei reinforcing plates extending over said slats, rivet means for connecting said corner reinforcing meansy to said slats, and extending through some of said slats, the slatsl intermediate the riveted slats being free to slide up and down,

and metal spacer load carrying members 4between the riveted slats concealed in the corners of said crate and adapted to distribute the load from one riveted slat to another riveted slat.

5. A milk bottle crate including.. side walls made of a series of spaced superimposed edge to edge slats,rmetal plate-like virtually right angular corner reinforcing members adapted to 'extend along the linside and the outsidel of the corners of said crate to collectively hold they endsof the slats together, means in said corner plates for holdingthe slats in longitudinal alinement, means for rigidly securing some of Said ,slats to said corner plates'with the other of said slats spaced from theV rigidly secured slats to. allow for expansion and contraction thereof, and 1 longitudinally extending column load carrying spacer means having a loW longitudinal coefficient of expansion due to moisture between said platesadapted to distribute the load the corner portions of said crate.

per;

th 110V t' y .for u tion with slatted wooden side Walls, inner and outer metal reinforcing plates covering and'supporting the ends of the slatted Walls, column spacer means not materially affected vertically by expansion due to Water adapted to distribute the load from one slat to the other of the Walls of the crate, and means for holding some of the slats of the Walls abutting with said column to fixed slats held by said corner plates.

EDWARD MCM. PENNOCK.

`supporting means and freely disposed in relation 

